SELECTMEN’S MEETING

July 11, 2017

1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to approve the agenda as presented.

2. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING: No meeting July 4, 2017

3. DEPARTMENT HEAD / COMMITTEE CHAIR UPDATES:

1. None

4. OLD BUSINESS:

1. Not on tape

2. Animal Control Officer Position: Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to appoint Dennis Long, III to the position of Animal Control Officer to August 31, 2017. The motion passed 3-0 and the appointment document was signed by all three Selectmen.

Mrs. Roux noted that the Treasurer prorated the July stipend to pay Michael Roux for ten days and Dennis Long, III for twenty-one days.

3. MMA Action Plan: Mrs. Roux stated that she is meeting with the MMA Representative to discuss what has been accomplished on the list and what the Town is having trouble doing. She will report back at the next meeting.

4. Mary Grant Policy: Mrs. Roux reported that there has been no update from the Mary Grant Nature Preserve Committee regarding the changes the Board requested.

5. Road Committee / Adhoc: Mrs. Miller noted that the ad hoc committee is scheduled to meet directly after the Board of Selectmen’s meeting to review the survey draft.

6. Junk Yard Ordinance: Mrs. Roux reported that she and the Code Enforcement Officer are scheduled to meet with the property owner of 8 Loop Road to discuss the situation. She noted that Mr. Paul confirmed that there are only two unregistered vehicles on the property at the time of his last site visit.

Ed Walsh, as the Planning Board liaison is scheduled to meet with the Board Chairman on Thursday to discuss if the Planning Board is interested in working on an ordinance article to address property maintenance.

Mrs. Roux suggested purchasing a copy of the International Residential Code, the code used by the Town for enforcement purposes, which would be a good resource to draft an ordinance regarding property management. She noted that she has previously distributed an MMA packet covering the issue. She will also provide a copy of these documents for the Planning Board to review. Consensus of Board members was to purchase the manual for $43.00.

Mrs. Miller requested that this subject be listed as a Property Maintenance Ordinance on the agenda going forward.

7. Secret Ballot Voting: Tabled to the next meeting.

Mrs. Miller explained that this option was suggested by a resident thinking this would increase participation in the voting process. William Williams asked if a request could come from the floor during the Annual Town Meeting to vote on particular items on a secret ballot. Mrs. Roux responded that this is allowed with a two-thirds vote.

8. Deputy Vehicle: Mrs. Roux reminded the Board that purchasing a new vehicle for the Town Deputy was approved at the Town Meeting for both Shapleigh and Acton. She reported that the vehicle has been ordered by the County Manger’s Office through the bid process. She will contact the County Administrator to determine how the purchase is proceeding and report back at the next meeting.

9. York County Budget Memo: Mrs. Roux reminded the Board that they received a copy of the resolution regarding reconsidering establishing a combined facility in Biddeford and closing the three courts at York, Springvale and Alfred. The resolution objects to the increase of $502,000 to the annual court budget to cover additional expenses such as inmate travel to court, etc. This increase would be passed on to the Town’s taxpayers.

Mrs. Roux noted that most of the municipalities in southern York County will be adversely affected by the move. Representative David Woodsome, Waterboro, has introduced a bill to reconsider the move but it was defeated by the Joint Standing Committee.

Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to sign the resolution. The motion passed 3-0 and the resolution was signed by all three selectmen.

10. Tennis Courts / Rec: Mrs. Roux reported that paperwork has been processed through Maine Municipal and the tennis courts will be available through the Recreation Department soon.

11. Recycle Bins: Consensus of Board Members was to authorize Mrs. Roux to order 50 bins at the lowest price she can negotiate.

12. Eagle Road Runnoff: Mrs. Roux reported that Scott Mooney, as Road Commissioner, does not believe the problem is caused by the Garvin Road but more by logging and other neighborhood activities and therefore, is not a Town issue. Board members requested that Mrs. Roux contact Bud Morin regarding the determination.

13. Reserve Accounts: Mrs. Roux reminded the Board Members that this is an item that should be addressed after the annual audit is completed. She suggested that the Board meets along with the Warrant and Finance Committee and anyone from the public that is interested with the Auditors to get information and clarity around the subject of reserve accounts.

N. Bridges: Mrs. Roux contacted the DOT and they assured her that the information that is on the website regarding bridges is accurate. Cindy Hart indicated that there are ten bridges within Acton, four of which are the Town’s shared responsibility. She stated that according to the 2015 assessment report, two of the bridges, West Shore Drive and Shady Nook, are in good shape, and two needs to be addressed. She said that bridges are rated on a scale of one to one hundred; the Hopper Road Bridge is rated at thirty and the Canal Road Bridge is rated at twenty-two. Anything under fifty is a candidate to be rebuilt; it cannot be repaired. She and Mrs. Roux will meet to review the reports and the Town’s files on bridges.

Board Members requested that Mrs. Roux determine when the next bridge inspection is scheduled so that the Board and Road Commissioners can attend.

O. Website: Mrs. Roux noted that changes have been made to the Town’s website including a Selectmen’s page which has photos of the Selectmen, contact information and scheduled meetings. There are also direct links to the School and Library.

5. NEW BUSINESS:

1. Policies: The Board reviewed the current Personnel Policy. Mrs. Miller noted that “Officer Manager” should be changed to “Administrator” in Article 6d.

Consensus of the Board was that:

• Article 10, Paid Time, Section B should refer to hourly employees;

• The .077 will be paid after five years of employment instead of the current two years of employment;

• Salary employees accrue based on scheduled weekly hours

2. Mass Gathering Permit: Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to approve the Mass Gathering Permit application submitted by Vacationland Volkswagen Association. The motion passed 3-0 and the approval was signed by all three Selectmen.

3. Recycler License Zoning Renewal: Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to approve the Recycler License Zoning Renewal application submitted by Lake Region Auto. The motion passed 3-0 and the approval was signed by the Chairman.

4. Department Heads’ Job Descriptions: Mrs. Roux distributed copies of the current job descriptions for the Treasurer, CFO, Town Clerk, Tax Collector and Town Administrator for the Board’s review to be discussed at the next meeting.

5. New Bridge Road Public Access: Mrs. Miller explained that there is a small triangular lot on New Bridge Road that is used by fishermen for direct access to the lake. The problem is that trash is being left on the lake during ice fishing which washes up on the shore in the spring.

She stated that the Town’s attorney, Lenkowski, doing a quick review is confident that the Town doesn’t own this site but that he needs to review recorded plans to determine who does. She will report back at the next meeting.

6. Planning Board Vacancy: Mrs. Roux noted that Walter Scott has resigned from his position on the Planning Board. Consensus of the Board was to post the opening until June 25^th.

7. Three Rivers Agreement: Mrs. Roux reported that the closing for the Goat Hill purchase occurred on Thursday, June 29^th. The Chairman had already signed the agreement between the Town and Three Rivers regarding the disbursement of the grant money. The other two Selectmen also signed the agreement. Members of the public asked about the budget to make the summit handicap accessible. Mrs. Roux offered to invite Carl Davis to the next meeting to explain Three Rivers’ plan.

8. Building Permit Refund: Mrs. Roux explained that the building permit applicant is requesting a refund for $935.00 which represents fees for work that the property owner no longer intends to do. Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to refund the $935 portion of the fee.

9. Deputy Fire Chief Appointments: Mrs. Roux noted that the Ordinance requires that the reappointment of the two Deputy Fire Chiefs be made by the seven member commission. However, the members’ term have expired. Mrs. Roux will contact the members to determine if they are interested in serving on a new commission in order to reappoint the deputies.

10. Fire Fighter / Paramedic Hourly Rate: Mrs. Roux noted that this position is currently paid $16.31 per hour. The Fire Chief is recommending raising the rate to $17.00 to bring the position in line with other area positions. Ed Walsh stated that this rate was originally kept low to allow for overtime, however, this employee has served for over a year and he feels that the rate should be raised.

Moved by Ed Walsh, seconded by Kim Stacey-Horn, to adjust the pay from $16.31 to $17.00 per hour. The motion passed 3-0.

11. Sheriff’s Recognition: Mrs. Roux reported that the Sheriff extended an invitation to Town Officials to attend a recognition for the lady and dog that found the lost boy on Hussey Hill on Friday, July 14^th. She has been communicating with the Sheriff’s Department regarding implementing a rescue dog program in Acton.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT:

A. Cannabis Cultivation: Bobbi Storman spoke to the Board regarding applying for a Cannabis Cultivation Permit. She stated that their vision is to own and operate a medium sized cannabis farm, from ten to twenty thousand square feet. The State currently permits only up to thirty thousand square feet for cannabis cultivation. The plan is to also grow garlic and lavender. She noted that this family-owned operation would add to the Town’s tax base and also provide high-paying jobs. This operation would be a greenhouse, farming environment. She noted that other operations who have not been up front as to what they are doing have faced town moratorium or prohibitive policies that prohibit their growth so they decided to seek support from a community in which they would purchase a home and growing site to establish their business.

Phase One would be in November, 2017 at which time they would erect a six thousand square foot greenhouse and then obtain the State license in February, 2018. Based on state criteria, it will be very competitive on who obtains the licenses.

Phase Two would be in August of 2018 when the second greenhouse would be constructed. They don’t plan on selling retail.

Phase Three would be a third greenhouse and introducing the secondary crops such as lavender, garlic and flowers.

She noted that there will be twenty-four hour security and surveillance, the greenhouses will be within fencing and they will be living onsite, so the operation will be very secure.

Their goal is to produce craft products that will relieve appetite and sleeping issues, and the CBD strains for the herbal remedies.

Mrs. Miller stated that she is aware of other potential growers that have not approached the Town yet and that she is not aware of any interest in establishing a moratorium.

Mrs. Roux will place this issue on the next meeting to discuss a possible public hearing.

B. Invasive Species: Barbara Seckar noted that at the Wilson Lake meeting on Saturday, a gentleman spoke on a new invasive species. She suggested that this subject be included for discussion at other gatherings.

Also, she announced that on August 14^th from 9:00 to 11:30, Lori Callahan, an expert on identifying this species, will take a group onto the lakes to talk about this species, the Eurasian Naiad. She provided Mrs. Roux with the Facebook information to be distributed.

Jeanne Achilles spoke about the importance of identifying and containing invasive species. Steve Buyck invited the Board to attend the Loon Pond Betterment Association’s meeting on July 22^nd at Camp Nutter on Loon Pond.

Mrs. Miller expressed condolences to Dick Neil and his family for the loss of Mrs. Neil after a long illness;

Mrs. Stacey-Horn offered sympathy to the family of John Hudson who passed away on July 4^th;

A fundraiser for Lori Driscoll is planned at Irontails on Sunday, July 16, 2017

Mrs. Miller did a shout out for Terry Minnihan for organizing the Acton Pride Day on Thursday, July 6th

7. ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Pre-audit is scheduled for Thursday, June 29^th

• The Library Summer Reading kickoff will begin on Wednesday, June 28^th

• One of the Selectmen will be available on the first, second and third Thursday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. beginning in August

8. MEMBERS PRESENT: Ed Walsh, Elise Miller, Kim Stacey-Horn

9. OTHERS PRESENT: Jennifer Roux, Brendan Meehan, Bobbi Storman, William Williams, Jeanne Achilles, Barbara Seckar.